Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph is unlikely to be ready to play in Week 1, and the question is more about how far into the regular season it will be before he is back on the practice field. Head coach Dan Campbell gave an update on Joseph after he said Joseph needed two weeks off.
Campbell first noted that Joseph was not currently with the team due to a personal issue. Beyond that, Campbell made it clear that Joseph is not going to be back any day now. He equated his timeline to Brian Branch. With Branch, Campbell said that he is just going to be happy if he plays in the regular season.
That is a bit of a different tone than Joseph and the team had initially said.
Detroit Lions Rule Out Kerby Joseph for Regular Season Opener
GettyDetroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph.
Campbell had initially been much more ambiguous when it came to the timeline of Joseph. However, that has changed since training camp. Joseph was much more positive himself before he appeared at training camp.
Joseph tweeted that he expected to be cleared from the Physically Unable to Perform list during training camp. However, the Lions did place him on the PUP when he showed up to camp. Now that it has been two weeks, Joseph remains on the PUP with no timeline for being taken off.
So, he went from potentially ready in training camp, to hopefully ready for Week 1, to now we are looking at some point in the regular season as his actual return time. The Lions continue to push the date back, and now Joseph is currently not with the team.
The injury has derailed what looked like the start of a promising career for Joseph.
Lions Do Not Know What They Will Get From Kerby Joseph in 2026
Joseph was a third-round pick from Illinois, going 97th overall in 2022. He was able to get on the field immediately during his rookie season, though. He started 14 games in his first season and had eight pass breakups and four interceptions.
In his second season, he continued that progression. He recorded 11 passes defensed to go with four interceptions. By his third season, he was a respected defender in the NFL.
He recorded a career-high nine interceptions. This led to him being named to the first-team All-Pro. He also finished sixth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.
His progression caused the Lions to sign him to a four-year, $86M deal that featured $36M in guaranteed salary. Unfortunately, Joseph suffered his knee injury during his first year with the new deal. He played in just six games.
Now, he is entering his second season since signing the deal, and there is no indication he will get anywhere close to a full season. If Joseph has another injured season where he plays less than half of the season, the team is going to have hard decisions to make in the safety room entering the 2027 season. Right now, all they can do is hope.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Dan Campbell Drops Worrisome Update on $86M Defender appeared first on HEAVY.